Talks Series (Meretz UK) Press Release

This was issued by me on Tuesday, 9 March 2010 on http://www.meretz.org.uk.&nbsp; The series was put together by me, wording by me, design of leaflet Hagai van der Horst. Proof reading credits go to the volunteer of Meretz UK at the time, who prefers to remain unnamed. This version is smaller than the original.

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Sunday, 25th of April – 20.00 Saul Issroff: “Who were my ancestors?” Saul Isroff expert on genealogical and family tree research introduces its general themes, with attention to past Jewish populations. Q.& A. Saul Issroff is a retired dermatologist, with an interest in Jewish genealogy and history. Amongst others he is founding member and one of the vice-presidents of the Jewish Genealogy Society (UK). He is also project director at the Centre for Study of Migration and Jewish Genealogy, University of Cape Town and on the board of governors of Jewishgen. He has published works on Jewish history, especially migratory history in a number of publications. If you want to know more about your ancestors, or where to start looking, don’t miss this session!

Monday 10th of May – 20.00Mossi Raz: “From Lebanon to Gaza – Challenges to War and Peace.” Former elected Meretz Israel parliamentary representative hosts talk on Gaza 2009, Lebanon 2006, and the current crisis in the Middle East.

This May, Mossi Raz, a long standing defender of peace and civil rights will be in London to lead a discussion on public responses to IDF military action in Lebanon in 2006 and Gaza in 2009. Having been Peace Now’s former Secretary General, Raz has later been closely affiliated with the agenda of Israel’s Meretz-Yachad party. His talk will address the debates surrounding the recent IDF incursions which attracted attention and caused disputes both in the Knesset and among Left-wing Israeli liberal groups like Meretz. The event is set to provide a panoramic and up to date account on the current political situation in Israel, informed in part by his involvement with the ground breaking joint Palestinian / Israeli ‘All for Peace’ Radio station.

Monday 24th May – 19.30 The Radical Jewish East End in History and Song. The history and the songs of the Jewish radical past in East London. A joint talk by social historian Ben Gidley and teacher and musician Vivi Lachs. Dr. Ben Gidley is a Senior Researcher at the Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS) at Oxford University. He has studied and written about the history of London’s Jewish community, focusing on the many Jewish radicals in the 20th century London East End. Vivi Lachs has been teaching and running education projects in Hackney schools for the past 24 years. She is also the singer with the band Klezmer Klub where she has been researching, recording, and writing about Yiddish songs of London and the social histories they contain. A very well reviewed CD of these songs, Whitechapel, mayn Vaytshepl has just come out and is available from http://www.klezmerklub.co.uk&nbsp;

Sunday, 13th June – 19.30 Mira Vogel: Jews, Israel and The Green Party. Perceptions and Stereotypes. This is an in depth analysis into the mechanics of a potential political ally of Jewish people and Israelis on the Left, with ever surprising revelations. Mira Vogel works at Goldsmiths College as an academic developer with a focus on technology-enhanced learning. In early 2000 she became very worried about the academic boycott campaign against Israel and later became involved with Engage, which ran an information campaign against the boycott attempts. When this campaign found a home in the Green Party, she and other Green Party members founded Greens Engage which hopes to influence Green Party policy regarding Israel, as well as to oppose anti-semitism. Mira Vogel’s presentation will give an overview of the efforts by Green Party members to respond to the intersection of anti-semitism and anti-Zionism, a discussion of the effects and limits of activist blogging, and a call for solidarity with and from Israeli progressives.

Sunday 27th June – 19.30The emerging Civil War over Israel within the Jewish community – and how to deal with it’. Dr. Keith Kahn-Harris is Honorary Research Fellow at the Centre for Religion and Contemporary Society at Birkbeck College, the convenor of the intra-Jewish dialogue project New Jewish Thought and co-author of the book ‘Turbulent Times: The British Jewish Community Today’. He is a frequent columnist in the The Guardian and has published widely on contemporary Jewish themes, as well as conducted independent and academic sociological research.

All talks £8, conc. £6.50, Members: £5, conc.£4 (*) on door. Our events are open to people of all backgrounds. Ha Shomer House is located 5 minutes from Finchley Road London Underground station (Jubilee & Metropolitan Line) and bus stops (C11, 82,13, 187) and less than 10 minutes from Swiss Cottage (Jubilee Line, and buses 13,31, 46, 82, 113, 187, 268, 603, C11) and West-Hampstead tube and B.R. Parking is free on Sundays. Ha Shomer House is a ground-floor venue without stairs. For more details about the events or Meretz UK, (*) Meretz UK annual membership is available for £20 / £10 concessions.